PANTHEONS OF THE FLANAESS: THE BAKLUNIBy Sabretore, Aria13, Chaos28, & QSamantha.Subj: Re: Mystery Gods (Baklunish)From: SabretoreSomewhat surprisingly, there are only four Baklunish <strong>de</strong>ities:Istus,GG - B (Fate, Destiny) N fGeshtai,LG - BC (Lakes, Rivers, Wells) N fXan Yae,LG -BC (Twilight, Shadows, Stealth, Mind over Matter) N fZuoken,DG - BC (Physical and Mental Mastery) N mDate: 95-10-02 11:25:26 ESTLooking at their alignment all are Neutral. All but Zuoken are female. Only Istus is exclusively Baklunish,the other three having become commonly worshipped.The portfolios are not immediately complementary. Zuoken is clearly aligned with Xan Yae with respect tothe powers <strong>of</strong> the mind. But Xan Yae's portfolio is much broa<strong>de</strong>r, including not merely varying <strong>de</strong>grees <strong>of</strong> half-lightbut also stealth. A complicated <strong>de</strong>ity to say the least. Taken together the three female <strong>de</strong>ities have portfolios that arenot related in any discernible fashion. This suggests that these <strong>de</strong>ities are but a small part <strong>of</strong> a larger Baklunishpantheon.The only alternative interpretation would be that the particular areas <strong>of</strong> these god<strong>de</strong>sses' interest were <strong>of</strong>special importance to the Baklunish. If that is so, their neutrality and femininity say something very interesting aboutBaklunish culture.Solving this puzzle is no easy matter. The Migrations are a strong reason to believe that these <strong>de</strong>ities are allthat was carried away from a larger pantheon. The followers <strong>of</strong> these god<strong>de</strong>sses escaped OR these god<strong>de</strong>sses were<strong>of</strong> particular importance to those migrating.On the other hand, one might readily imagine that fate was the primary concern <strong>of</strong> the Baklunish, living in aharsh land and that similarly, life giving sources <strong>of</strong> fresh water would be important. This would explain Istus andGeshtai. Xan Yae and Zuoken would seem to clearly indicate that the Baklunish might have a natural propensitytoward psionics.The neutrality <strong>of</strong> the <strong>de</strong>ities would suggest a similar Baklunish outlook, not at all surprising if Istus, theembodiment <strong>of</strong> fate is in<strong>de</strong>ed the primary <strong>de</strong>ity.That all <strong>of</strong> the true <strong>de</strong>ities are female could suggest that women play a dominant role in Baklunish societyOR that stereotypically, fate is capricious - like a woman - with a like logic carrying over to life giving sources <strong>of</strong> freshwater and mental powers, that while not uncommon are not universal.Ultimately, there is no sure way to <strong>de</strong>ci<strong>de</strong> whether these <strong>de</strong>ities are the entirety <strong>of</strong> the Baklunish pantheon oronly the barest part.I tend to favor the i<strong>de</strong>a that these <strong>de</strong>ities comprise the entire pantheon, if only because this seems clearlythe case consi<strong>de</strong>ring the other <strong>de</strong>ities.SabretoreSubj: Re: Mystery Gods (Baklunish) Date: 95-10-02 19:17:02 ESTAria13I agree. There need to be more Baklunish <strong>de</strong>ities. Four, even interesting ones, does not a pantheon make.Aria13Subj: Re: Mystery Gods (Baklunish)Date: 95-10-03 01:58:14 ESTChaos28MB,Precisely why I <strong>de</strong>ci<strong>de</strong>d to transplant the Al-Qadim gods into the Baklunish culture. The Al-Q setting isterrific and I think it was a terrible waste when it was cancelled, so I adopted much <strong>of</strong> what I loved about the settinginto WoG. The gods, both the gods <strong>of</strong> the Pantheon and the small, idolatrous cults, survive in my Baklunishcultures. I think it fits the Arabic flavor <strong>of</strong> the Baklunish quite nicely, and it also fleshes out the pantheon withoutrequiring a lot <strong>of</strong> gruntwork.ChaosSubj: Re: Mystery Gods (Baklunish)Date: 95-10-03 09:50:19 EST
QSamanthaUsing the AQ gods to fill out the Baklunish pantheon is a good i<strong>de</strong>a, which I never really have consi<strong>de</strong>red.But Istus becomes Fate? I shud<strong>de</strong>r to think we are going to get into that Fate/Entropy thing the FRites weredrooling over. A stupid i<strong>de</strong>a whose time had come. Avoiding that, I'm all for using the AQ <strong>de</strong>ities.Qsamantha
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